Training the fluffy pillow

As I had talked about in my previous post, I'm a bit fluffy, not fat, but fluffy.  Could I be smaller?  Yes.  Could I be bigger?  Yes.  The difficulty is not the exercise component for me, it's predominately the diet.  For this post, however, I'll be going over training considerations as well as what my personal weekly exercise load looks like.

I used to love to run.  When I got out of the Marine Corps, one of the things that I can honestly attribute to defining me was running.  I liked lifting at the same moment in time, however, I did spend a considerable greater amount of time hitting the trails or the street.  This was therapy for me and I made some wonderful friends while I performed this action.

About 2 years later, I got into lifting and Muay Thai, which became the new therapy for me.  Honestly, this has been something that I look back upon and realize that it was at this point that my life changed towards where I am today.  I love lifting and I love Muay Thai, they are both therapeutic and they both will tell you when you're doing something wrong.

I bring this up because it's pivotal to training the fluffy pillow.  Since I would be considered predominantly an "endomorph," I can lift heavy weights but also need a fair amount of aerobic training to include to keep the fat down.  4 days each week I get about 2-3 hours of boxing either by actively coaching (donning the mitts and moving with my participants) or sparring.  So with that consider it my "aerobic" time.  I also lift anywhere between 4 hours and 6 hours per week, depending on the program of which I'm running.  So that sums at about 12-16 hours per week of activity.

I also average over 12000 steps per day, something that may at a desk job fail to receive.  So in addition to all of the training that I get either by participating or personal, it's a large amount of daily activity.

In reality, this is probably what keeps me from being obese.

For my body time, some serious lifting, as well as some serious aerobic training is vital to keep someone such as myself healthy.  I thrive with both and many I know with similar shapes do as well.  It's just I have the privilege of incorporating everything as part of my work, unlike many others who are stuck at a desk.  Not only am I impacting my physical health, I'm mentally under much less stress than my peers in other positions.
You don't have to be a personal trainer to enjoy this type of training.  All you need to do is partition time out of your day, likely every day, towards some form of this exercise.  Some in the morning and some later in the day would be perfect in many instances, but not all.  Evaluate your priorities and your body type, and if you find that you're like me and hold a little extra fat then lifting and intense sports may be right for you.  You have nothing to fear.

Fluffy like a pillow...built on steel!

One thing about myself is this, I feel fluffy like a pillow with a core made out of steel.  I've battled with my weight my entire life even to this day.  While I've been educated in how to exercise effectively, the issue is life itself.

Generally speaking, I need to build up the framework psychologically to be successful with body compositional goals.  My goals are generally simple, put on muscle, lose fat.  However, if you are to look at the way I gain and lose weight, it's the traditional endomorphic body type.  My upcoming post will go into somatotype to discuss the differences between endomorph, ectomorph, and mesomorph.

I feel like if I look at a cupcake or cookie, I've gained about 6lbs.  On the contrary, If I lift any amount of weight I feel like I've gained some significant muscle.  Not really a great compromise, especially when you consider the whole gain weight concept.

I enjoy lifting weights.  I enjoy food.  I'm like nearly every red-blooded American male.  I honestly try to be good with my diet most of the time, but, I also have a weakness for Oreos and pizza.  I like lifting weights and hate cardio (it's boring) unless it's boxing or kickboxing.  In the end, it forces me to be fluffy like a pillow built on steel.

Restricting what you do can only lead to bigger problems in the end.  I'm now of the mindset that I need to make sure that my overall health is alright.  I have three kids that need my wife and I when I get home each and every day.  I look at getting 4-5 workouts per week as a success.  I eat vegetables at least 2 meals per day and really try like hell to avoid those Oreos at night.

I'm like you and everyone else.  It's just that I have been educated and trained in exercise and diet, but I still love the American in me!